Ambode tasks old students associations on infrastructure upgrade in schools

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Saturday urged old students associations to increase their commitment to their alma mater in the area of infrastructure development and upgrading.
Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule, made the call at the National Annual Dinner of the Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association in Lagos.
He said due to the dwindling resources and competing needs, government was increasingly finding it difficult to provide all that was required in public schools.
He said: “I strongly believe that we owe it a duty to give back to the institution which contributed to the success that we have achieved in life.
“This is the whole essence of old students association, apart from providing a platform to reconnect, network and share experiences.”
Ambode said he was a product of the college and a beneficiary of the best quality education that could be offered at the time.
He said: “Whatever we have achieved today could be attributed to the solid foundation and exposure we were given by the college.”
The Governor said the state had started to effectively integrate Information and Communications Technology in its education system.
“This is extremely important if we desire to raise a generation that can hold their space in the rapidly changing and competitive global system driven by knowledge and technology,” he said.
Dr. Christoper Kolade, the Chairman of the occasion, urged Nigerians to play custodian roles in their dealings to promote maintenance culture.
Kolade said: “We live in a nation where our maintenance culture is very poor and if we all can play our custodian role, promote standard and values, then this country will be a better place.”
Kolade said he was a teacher at GCU for two years (1955 to 1957) and contributed to the formation of many who were now contributors to the advancement of the country.
He said: “I came here today to catch up with the boys I taught in class and I’m proud of what I see and what they have been doing to assist government in refurbishing and maintaining the school.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Chris Uwaje, an ICT expert, urged government at all levels and leaders of academic institutions to be passionate about education and teaching responsibility, especially ICT in education.
Uwaje said there was the need to effectively use ICT to enhance the quality of education and deliver the promise of the knowledge revolution.
According to him, ICT is essential in sustaining education, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and wealth creation.
He said: “I recommend that to ensure the sustainability of the future of education in Nigeria, coding class for software programming skill acquisition should be introduced and made mandatory for students.”
In his remarks, Prof. Oritsegbemi Omatete, the President General Worldwide of GCUOBA, said the event was a way of giving back to the school that gave them excellent education.
Omatete said: “We realised that excellent education is expensive and with the explosion in the number of secondary schools, government alone cannot finance quality education.
“Those of us who experience such high quality education, therefore, should assist government maintain it.”